I adapted this cake recipe from Alice Medrich’s “Pure Dessert” who, in her turn, borrowed the idea from Claudia Roden. I substituted a half of almonds for the hazelnuts, I think they make the flavor more interesting. The cake was delicious and so easy to make! It’s rich but not heavy or dense, it’s also quite moist. Unsweetened chocolate (and there’s plenty of it) cuts the meringue sweetness down very well. But the recipe does require a good quality unsweetened chocolate. And I’m afraid, it means to find something better that the Baker’s unsweetened squares.

I baked the batter in the mini-cake pans. But the cake originally designed to fit into a regular 9-inch springform pan. Serve it cut in slices and plated with unsweetened whipped cream and/or Baci ice cream, and some cocoa nib brittle for garnish.

Cocoa nib brittle for serving (use this recipe but substitute the hazelnuts for crushed nibs)

Preparation:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the sides of the 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Combine the almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate, ½ cup of the sugar, and the salt in a food processor and pulse until the nuts and chocolate are very finely chopped but not completely pulverized. Set aside.

In a clean, dry mixer bowl or other large bowl, combine the egg whites with the cream of tartar and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed and gradually add the remaining ½ up sugar, then beat until the meringue forms stiff but not dry peaks. Add one-third of the nut mixture to the meringue, and fold in with a large rubber spatula just until nearly incorporated. Fold in half of the remaining nuts, then fold in the rest of the nuts.

Scrape the batter into the lined pan and spread it evenly. Bake until the cake has risen and is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, or with a little melted chocolate, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold. Cool completely on a rack. Cover or wrap tightly, and store for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Wow how did I miss this one. It looks incredible and very edible! Ever since I started macarons and then the Opera Cake of DBakers, I fell in love with nut flours in baked goods. So much more substantial.

Vera,
I made the cake yesterday. I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a 6″ springform pan instead. I used all almonds (like the original recipe calls for, since I’m allergic to hazelnuts). I also used Ghirardelli’s unsweetened chocolate. I found that the heavy chocolate and nut mixture deflated the egg whites quite a bit, even though I was very gentle in my folding motions. The cake baked for 30 minutes in my oven. It turned out pretty good. I would classify it as fudgy (like a brownie), not too rich like most flourless tortes containing butter and egg yolks. I wasn’t overly sweet which I liked but hubby preferred it to be sweeter. I think for those who like it sweeter, matching a slice of this cake with sweetened whipped cream or even ice cream would enhance the experience of this cake. I think next time, I would slightly toast the almonds first to bring out their flavor even more. Even a small amount of almond extract would be nice. I took pictures too. I’ll try to post them on my blog soon. This is probably way more feedback than you would have liked :o) but there it is. Thanks again for sharing the recipe.

The presentation is beautiful. I’ve been wanting to make this cake for a while now but every time I look at the recipe, I keep thinking it will be dry (egg whites, no butter or oil, etc) so I didn’t bother. Thank you for your post. It changed my mind. Guess what I’ll be doing this weekend? :o)